Summary
God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt, and led them out into the wilderness. There, he fed and protected them, leading them on the way. But for what reason? And would God at some point leave them to their own devices, or did he have a plan and a purpose for them? Does he have a plan and a purpose for us?
In this passage, God’s people arrive at Mount Sinai, where God will arrive in all his divine glory. There, the God who chose them and rescued them from slavery in Egypt will enter into a covenant (or treaty) with them, establishing his reign over them as their Great King.
Our Passage Explained
v1-3
Firstly, this passage records God’s People entering the place of God’s special presence. God exists everywhere (he “transcends” Creation), and God has been with the Israelites on the road from Egypt. But Sinai is a special place of God’s presence, where he will particularly make himself known to the locals.
So we read that on the third new moon after they left Egypt, “on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai” (v.1). Their time of moving through the wilderness areas after leaving Egypt ended, and they settled in a camp at the foot of Mount Sinai (v.2).
When Moses first set foot on Sinai, God promised that Moses “shall serve God on this mountain” (3:12), and so Moses fulfilled this promise as he “went up to God” while Israel encamped before Sinai (vv.2-3).
In God’s presence, Moses hears God proclaim the Israelites as his people, and his intention to reign as their Great King. Moses is told to relay God’s message, bringing the terms of a Great King to the subjects he has rescued (v.3).
v4-5
God’s treaty starts with a preamble which establishes the relationship between them and him. “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (v.4).
God reminds the Israelites of his rescue of them from Egypt, after single-handedly defeating Pharaoh and his armies. He also reminds them of his tender care for them in the wilderness, providing them with direction, with protection, with water, manna to eat, and the initial instructions of holy living.
All God’s deliverance, protection, and provision is to bring them to himself. They were redeemed with purpose, to a purpose. God has a purpose for their existence which far exceeds that of brickmakers to Pharaoh.
v6-8
That purpose is to be God’s people, his possession. God will set the terms of the relationship, a series of laws which reflect God’s character and the standard to which we are all held to account. It is what the Israelites were redeemed for, a covenant relationship with God. Enjoyment of the blessings relies on their obedience to his commands (v.5), but it comes because God has redeemed them already!
If the Israelites hear God’s voice and obey his reign, they will enjoy God’s covenant blessings. The first is that “you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine” (v.5). Of all the nations living, big and small, God chose the Israelites as the vessel of divine blessing on all the earth. They are treasured, like a child’s favourite soft toy or a person’s priceless possession.
Secondly, they “shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (v.6). As the vessel of divine blessing, Israel will preserve the true religion of God and the sacrificial system which points forward to their greatest contribution: providing the Messiah, Jesus. They will remain distinct from the pagan nations around, so that the pagans themselves will turn to God in faith.
Moses takes these words to the people. The elders of Israel, on all their behalf, commit to being God’s people under God’s reign, there in God’s presence (vv.7-8). The details will come later, but the redeemed people are now to take up a new role.
Our Passage Applied
Sadly, as the rest of Scripture teaches us, the Israelites did not live up to the standard set. But despite that, God still kept a remnant who remained faithful, and in due time Christ came to redeem us from our sins.
From that remnant, God is now building his Kingdom on earth, represented by the Church. God brings people from all nations and sets them apart, to be his kingdom of priests and a holy nation, distinct worshipers of God amongst the unbelieving world (1 Peter 2:9).
We are God’s possession, chosen by him to serve him and call others to worship God too, because we have been redeemed by God. We do not serve to earn our salvation, we serve because we have received salvation.
The Church today is God’s people, enjoying God’s presence (through the Holy Spirit), under God’s reign. Like Israel, we have been redeemed into a covenant relationship, a possession for a special purpose. One day we will know even more fully the joy of being God’s People, in God’s Presence, under God’s Reign.
Image: View of Mount Sinai by Edward Lear (1812-1888)
